Waldo County 4-H Newsletter – March 2020

March 10, 2020 Waldo County 4-H Newsletter

4-H on the Move

A Monthly Newsletter for Waldo County 4-H Members and Volunteers

Download the PDF: Waldo 4-H Newsletter 2020-03

Table of Contents

  • Upcoming Dates
  • County News
    • Public Speaking Contest
    • 4-H Leaders’ Assoc.
    • Animal Approval and Lease Forms
    • Member ID Cards
    • 4-H Days at Tanglewood
  • State News
    • Camp Scholarships
    • 4-H Mini Forum
    • 4-H Unconference
    • National 4-H Trips
    • 4-H@UMaine 2020 Teen Leader Team
    • 4-H Teen Dance
    • Stress Less Workshop
    • What is Aquaculture Science Saturday
    • 4-H Dairy Team Dates
    • 4-H@UMaine 2020
    • Maine Junior Solar Sprint: Season 26
    • 2020 Maine 4-H Days
    • Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee
    • Maine 4-H Dairy Quizbowl Results
    • National 4-H Dairy Conference

Upcoming Dates

3/14: Waldo County 4-H Public Speaking Contest
3/14: Southern Maine 4-H Unconference
3/20: National 4-H Congress and Conference Applications due
3/21: 4-H Mini Forum (Gorham, ME)
4/3: 4-H @UMaine Teen Leader Applications due
4/4: Maine 4-H Teen Dance
4/4: Rural Living Day (4-H raffle)
4/16: Stress Less Online Workshop for Teens
4/25: Eastern Maine 4-H Unconference
4/25: Aquaculture Science Saturday
5/2: Maine 4-H Dairy Judging Team Tryouts
5/23: 4-H Day at Tanglewood
5/29-5/30: 4-H @UMaine

County News

Public Speaking Contest

Waldo County 4-H will be hosting a 4-H Public Speaking Contest on March 14th at the Waldo County Cooperative Extension office. Registration will begin at 3:30 and the contest will start at 4:00. All Waldo County 4-H members are welcome to participate. For more information on 4-H public speaking projects and guidelines for presentations, please visit extension.umaine.edu/4h/public-speaking.

Please contact the Waldo County Cooperative Extension office at 207.342.5971 with any questions.

4-H Leaders’ Association

The Waldo County 4-H Leaders’ Association is a group of 4-H volunteers who work to promote 4-H by working with the Waldo County 4-H staff to disseminate content, support county projects, and provide consideration for problems, projects, and policies related to county 4-H work. All enrolled 4-H volunteers are part of the 4-H Leaders’ Association and are welcome to attend the monthly meetings. The Waldo County 4-H Leaders’ Association meets on the first Thursday of each month at the Waldo County Cooperative Extension office at 10:00 am.

Animal Approval and Lease Forms

Any 4-H member who plans on showing at 4-H livestock shows in 2020 will need to complete an animal approval form and lease form. Animal approval and lease forms are due at your local county extension office by June 30th unless you are attending Eastern States Exposition. Please see the dates below for Eastern States approval form deadlines.

ESE 4-H Horse Team: approval and lease forms due 4/1/2020
ESE 4-H Dairy Team: approval and lease forms due 5/1/2020
ESE 4-H Working Steer Team: approval and lease forms due 5/1/2020

Member ID Cards

As we approach summer, many 4-H members will be needing 4-H member ID cards. If you anticipate that you will need a 4-H member or volunteer ID card please contact the Waldo County Cooperative Extension office to request that your cards be mailed to you.

Save the Date: 4-H Days at Tanglewood

On Saturday, May 23rd, Tanglewood Camp and Learning Center will be hosting 4-H Days at Tanglewood! 4-H Members will have the chance to learn what a 4-H camp experience is like and participate in a variety of fun workshops. The event will take place from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and is open to 4-H members, their families, and friends.

State News

Camp Scholarships Available

The Maine 4-H Foundation has camp scholarships ranging from $100-$200 available for 4-H members to any one week of 4-H camp. Try one of our University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Centers at Blueberry Cove, Bryant Pond, Greenland Point and Tanglewood. Call the camps to ask for a scholarship. Scholarships are based on need and first come, first serve. For more information, visit: extension.umaine.edu/4h/camps.

Cumberland County 4-H Mini-Forum

4-H is a wonderful way for youth to learn more about themselves, other people in their lives, and the world in which they live. This is what the 4-H Mini-Forum is all about! We invite you to join us on March 21, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at Bailey Hall, USM in Gorham, to learn a new skill or idea. This year we are opening Mini-Forum registration to the public and 4-H members from other counties! To be able to participate in Mini-Forum, you must pre-register for the event and be between the ages of 5-18 as of January 1, 2020. There are no workshops or provisions for children under five years of age.

To register online and see a complete list of available workshops visit: extension.umaine.edu/cumberland/4h/events/mini-forum. Registration closes Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Remember, Mini-Forum workshops are “first come, first serve” so the sooner you register, the better chance you have of getting your first choice. Clubs may not be able to get all of their members into the same workshop due to limited space. You can call or email Sara Conant if you have any questions at 207-781-6099 or sara.conant@maine.edu.

UMaine 4-H Unconference – not your average volunteer forum!

UMaine 4-H Unconference is a volunteer forum led by 4-H volunteers for 4-H volunteers. The Unconference will be an organized forum for 4-H volunteers, club leaders, afterschool providers, teachers, parents and teens leaders to gather. UMaine 4-H Unconference is intentionally designed to have YOU teach and learn from each other. There is no agenda; you come with 4-H ideas and topics you want to talk about or learn more about, and we’ll guide the process to get folks into groups where YOU are the experts. All experience levels are welcome and no one person has all the answers. Door prizes will be given at the end of the day. Register online at: extension.umaine.edu/4h/volunteers/unconference.

Join us for one or both of these awesome dates! Registration begins at 8:30 and door prizes will be drawn by 3:00:

  • Lewiston, Saturday, March 14, 2020 (USM Lewiston Auburn Campus, 51 Westminster St., Lewiston)
  • Ellsworth, Saturday, April 25, 2020 (Ellsworth High School, 24 Lejok St., Ellsworth)

National 4-H Trips (Conference and Congress)

National 4-H Trip Applications are due March 20th, 2020 (Conference and Congress). National 4-H Trips are excellent opportunities to meet 4-H members from across the nation. Participants learn about many career options, and learn through educational workshops at Congress or become a part of a team making recommendations to National 4-H Council at Conference. To learn more about these trips, visit: extension.umaine.edu/4h/national-trips. For specific questions, please contact Heidi Palmer, State Activities Coordinator at: heidi.thuotte@maine.edu.

4-H@UMaine 2020 Teen Leader Team

Teen Leaders support 4-H@UMaine by helping to plan the weekend, creating the event’s theme, supporting younger participants, and helping to create an engaging and welcoming environment for all attendees. All this while building leadership skills and having FUN!

NEW! This year the required in-person training will be offered in two locations simultaneously. Teens will be able to attend at the Androscoggin/Sagadahoc (Lisbon Falls) or Penobscot/Piscataquis (Bangor) Cooperative Extension office. The two groups will video conference for portions of the training to help build a cohesive group while hopefully eliminating some transportation barriers.

For more information and for this year’s application please visit extension.umaine.edu/4h/4humaine/teen-leaders. Applications will be available on March 2nd and must be submitted by April 3rd.

First Ever Maine 4-H Teen Dance

April 4, 2020 from 6:00-9:00 pm at the Old Town YMCA, join us for the first ever Maine 4-H Teen Dance (organized by teen 4-H’ers for YOU!). More information and online registration will be posted at: extension.umaine.edu/4h/2020/02/28/first-ever-maine-4-h-teen-dance.

Stress Less Online Workshop for Teens – #EmpoweringMEandYou

The National 4-H Healthy Living Summit Team from Maine will be presenting their Stress Less online workshop on Thursday, April 16, 6-7 p.m. Any youth ages 13-18 are welcome and encouraged to attend. 4-H participation is not required! The team developed the lesson plan at the 2019 Summit and presented it at the 2020 Summit.

This hour-long lesson was designed by and for teens to educate others on the effects of stress and how they can combat and cope with stress in their daily lives, and the lives of others. Youth will start by identifying what the effects of stress are, and then have the opportunity to practice a variety of coping strategies that can help to reduce these effects on the body. Youth will also learn and practice how to reframe their own negative self-talk and redirect that of others as it relates to stress.

If you are interested in attending this workshop please RSVP here by Monday, April 13, 2020 to receive a reminder email and the Zoom link. For questions or information on offering this to your county or club, please email or call Sara Conant at sara.conant@maine.edu or 207-781-6099.

What is Aquaculture Science Saturday

Save the date for the first 4-H Science Saturday of 2020! On April 25, 2020, youth will have a chance to learn about Aquaculture at the Aquaculture Research Center at UMaine in Orono. This event will run from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The cost is $10.00 and lunch will be provided. Online registration will be available in early March at: extension.umaine.edu/4h/science-saturday.

4-H Dairy Team Dates

The summer show season is fast approaching and it is time to start preparing for the 2020 Eastern States Exposition. Please save the dates below for Eastern States 4-H Dairy team tryouts and events. More information on the Eastern States Exposition 4-H dairy team and how to get involved in a 4-H dairy project can be found at extension.umaine.edu/4h/animal-science-resources/dairy. Please contact Tara Marble at tara.marble@maine.edu or Sadee Mehuren at sadee.mehuren@maine.edu with any questions.

Note: In order to be eligible for participation on the 2020 ESE 4-H Dairy Team youth must:

  • Be enrolled in a 4-H dairy project for at least one year
  • Be 12 years old or older by December 31st of the current 4-H year
  • Submit an ESE dairy team intent to participate form by Feb. 1, 2020
  • Participate in at least one state tryout event
  • Submit their animal approval form to their county office by May 1st (if they intend to bring an animal)
  • Participate in the Maine State 4-H Dairy show in July

Maine 4-H Dairy Team Dates:

  • Animal Approval and Lease Form Due Date (for ESE participants): 5/1/2020, in your local County Extension Office
  • 4-H Dairy Judging Team Tryouts: 5/02/2020, time and location TBD
  • Animal Approval and Lease Form Due Date (for non-ESE participants): 6/30/2020, in your local County Extension Office
  • Maine 4-H Dairy Show (including 4-H Grilled Cheese Contest and 4-H Dairy Fitting Contest): 7/18/2020 – 7/19/2020 at the Windsor Fairgrounds

Come to Orono for the 2020 4H@UMaine May 29-30, 2020

Planning has started and the wheels are in motion thanks to the efforts of a tremendous team! We are always looking for individuals interested in helping with pre-event planning or attending the event itself! Stay tuned for details. For more information about 4-H@UMaine, contact Greg Kranich at gregory.kranich@maine.edu or 207.581.3292.

Maine Junior Solar Sprint: Season 26

What’s it about? Engineering, photovoltaics, and collaborative learning. Working in teams, middle school students design, build, and race model vehicles that that run (20 meters) with the sun.

Cost? There’s a free mentor workshop and (thanks to the Maine 4-H Foundation) a $150 materials stipend for mentors. (There is a cost if you would like an organized qualifying race at your school. Top teams go on to the State Finals on Saturday, June 6, site TBD.)

I’m interested… what now? Contact the dude below. He’ll start the wheels turning! Peter Zack, Sacopee Energy & Climate Activities, peter@secanews.org, 207.625.7833.

Save the Date for 2020 Maine 4-H Days

Maine 4-H Days will take place July 16-19, 2020 at the Windsor Fairgrounds. If you are interested in helping to plan next year’s event, please contact Jessy Brainerd at jessica.brainerd@maine.edu or 207.581.3877.

Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee

July will be here before you know it, and we are looking for a few good volunteers to join the fantastic current Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee. Joining this committee gives you the chance to help come up with ideas and plans for one of our biggest statewide events! If you are interested in joining the Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee, or have general questions/comments/recommendations about the event, please email jessica.brainerd@maine.edu, or call 207.581.3877.

Maine 4-H Dairy Quizbowl Contest Results

On February 15th the Maine 4-H Dairy Quizbowl contest was held in Augusta, Maine. 4-H members from all corners of Maine came to the state’s capital to test their dairy knowledge. Youth began the contest by taking a written dairy knowledge exam which was followed by a series of questions on the buzzers. Eleven youth competed in the Senior division with the high score going to Ali L. of Cumberland County.

The 2020 Maine 4-H Dairy Quizbowl team will be comprised of the top four individuals in the Senior division: Ali L., Owen B., Mariah J., and Jillian S. with Hannah M. serving as an alternate. The team will compete at Eastern States Exposition in September. In the Junior division the high score went to Kat L. of Cumberland County.

Congratulations to all who participated!

National 4-H Dairy Conference

The 66th National 4-H Dairy Conference will be held September 27 to September 30, 2020 in Madison, Wisconsin. It will be held in conjunction with World Dairy Expo and attendees will have the chance to visit Expo as part of the conference agenda. Additionally, the conference will offer opportunities to learn more about careers in agriculture, seminars on dairy topics, and a wealth of chances to interact with dairy 4-H members from across the country. More info about the conference can be found here (check back for updates as they happen): national4hdairyconference.org/2018/11/07/join-us-in-2019/.

The Maine 4H Animal Science Dairy Committee would love to try and send/support a team of motivated kiddos who are involved with the Dairy Goat, or Dairy Cattle Project Areas for this very unique and meaningful opportunity.

The National 4H Dairy Conference requires that 4-H team members: have spent at least 3 years in those project areas, and be at least 15 years old but not yet older than 18 (4-H age).

We are also looking for potential VOLT Chaperones who might like to help organize and facilitate this trip. If we have an idea of how many kids are interested we can plan our fundraising efforts accordingly. Interested parties can contact Tara marble at tara.marble@maine.edu, or 207.778.4650 at the Franklin County Office.